Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations

Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations
Incumbent James Larsen since 26 July 2023 (2023-07-26)
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Style	His Excellency
Reports to	Minister for Foreign Affairs
Residence	New York
Nominator	Prime Minister of Australia
Appointer	Governor-General of Australia
Inaugural holder	Norman Makin (as Head of Delegation)
Formation	1946
Website	Permanent Representative

The ambassador and permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations is an officer of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the head of the Permanent Mission of the Commonwealth of Australia to the United Nations in New York. The position has the rank and status of an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and is the lead Australian representative to the UN, although that role is also shared with representatives present at the United Nations Office in Geneva, the United Nations Office in Vienna and the United Nations Office at Nairobi, and the delegations to UNESCO and the United Nations Agencies in Rome. Australia is a charter member of the United Nations and has sent representatives to New York since 1946.

The permanent representative, currently James Larsen, is charged with representing Australia during plenary meetings of the General Assembly and, when Australia holds a non-permanent seat or by invitation, the Security Council, except in the rare situation in which a more senior officer (such as the Minister for Foreign Affairs or the Prime Minister of Australia) is present. The post is appointed by the Governor-General of Australia in the name of the monarch, and nominated by the prime minister.

List of permanent representatives

#	Officeholder	Image	Term start date	Term end date	Time in office	Notes
1	Norman Makin (Head of Delegation)		1945 (1945)	1946 (1946)	0–1 years
2	Paul Hasluck		1946 (1946)	1947 (1947)	0–1 years
3	John Hood		1947 (1947)	1950 (1950)	2–3 years
−	Mick Shann (Acting)		1950 (1950)	1951 (1951)	0–1 years
4	Bill Forsyth		1951 (1951)	1956 (1956)	4–5 years	[1]
5	Edward Ronald Walker		1956 (1956)	1959 (1959)	2–3 years
6	James Plimsoll		1959 (1959)	1963 (1963)	3–4 years
7	David Hay		1964 (1964)	1965 (1965)	0–1 years	[2]
8	Patrick Shaw		1965 (1965)	1970 (1970)	4–5 years
9	Laurence McIntyre		1970 (1970)	1975 (1975)	4–5 years
10	Ralph Harry		1975 (1975)	1978 (1978)	2–3 years
11	Harold David Anderson		1978 (1978)	1982 (1982)	3–4 years
12	Richard Woolcott		1982 (1982)	1988 (1988)	5–6 years
−	Michael Costello (Acting)		1988 (1988)	1989 (1989)	0–1 years
13	Peter Wilenski		1989 (1989)	1992 (1992)	2–3 years	[3]
14	Richard Butler		1992 (1992)	1996 (1996)	3–4 years
15	Penelope Wensley		1997 (1997)	2001 (2001)	3–4 years	[4]
16	John Dauth		2001 (2001)	2006 (2006)	4–5 years	[5]
−	Caroline Millar (Acting)		2006 (2006)	2006 (2006)	0 years
17	Robert Hill		2006 (2006)	2009 (2009)	2–3 years
18	Gary Quinlan		2009 (2009)	2014 (2014)	4–5 years	[6]
19	Gillian Bird		2015 (2015)	2019 (2019)	3–4 years	[7]
20	Mitch Fifield		17 October 2019 (2019-10-17)	1 July 2023	3 years, 257 days	[8][9]
21	James Larsen		26 July 2023	Incumbent	144 days	[10]

See also

• Australia and the United Nations
• List of ambassadors and high commissioners of Australia

References

External links

• Australian Permanent Mission to the United Nations - New York

This page was last edited on 17 December 2023, at 03:10